Cuban Leaf Impression Coloring Book, 1865

From the SU Libraries Nabb Research Center

he Nabb Research Center has many archival collections that are used for
w / creative endeavors, in addition to regular scholarly and genealogical research.
y Among our millions of historic documents and artifacts, there are quite a few
that spark inspiration for both artists and historians. This archival synergy is exemplified
in Mary Elizabeth Goddard's 53 Cuban leaf impression drawings in our Special
Collections (SC2017.014).

Mary Elizabeth Goddard was born in Millbury, Massachusetts, on July 19, 1840.
Orphaned before she turned 10, she went to live with her uncle, Ebenezer W. Goffe,
who owned a general store and a large farm with frequent boarders. One of the
boarders, Leila Echeverria, was a young woman born in Matanzas, Cuba, to an Italian-
born merchant (Antonio Echeverria) and the daughter of a wealthy Massachusetts family
(Sarah Newell).

In 1856, Leila married Henry C. Hall, who became the American consul at Matanzas,
Cuba, from 1864 to 1873 and consul general in Havana from 1873 to 1877. During
this tumultuous period, the United States ran blockades on Confederate trade during
the American Civil War, slavery was still common on the island and Cubans fought for
independence from Spain from 1868 to 1878 in what was known as the Ten Years' War
(independence was not won until 1898).

Mary Elizabeth Goddard (later Ticknor) drew the 53 leaf impressions around 1865 while
living in Cuba for two years with her childhood acquaintance Leila Echeverria. While it
is unknown whether she resided at the consular quarters in Matanzas or the Echeverria
plantation, all of these drawings were created in the same region. Goddard's carefully
arranged drawings document the presence of both economic crops and native plants
prior to the island's deforestation. In recent decades, as a result of Cuba's reforestation
efforts, many of the native plants that Goddard drew are growing again.

Regardless of the reason or details of her visit, her intricate leaf rubbings remain an
impressive resource for historic and environmental study - as well as a fun way to color
our collections!

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